Tragic was the conclusion of the search for the submersible Titan, the traces of which had been lost since Sunday near the wreck of the Titanic.

The US Coast Guard confirmed that the wreckage found belonged to the Titan, clarifying that the five people on board died due to a catastrophic decompression that led to the breakup of the submersible.

Here is a chronicle of the fateful expedition to the wreck of the Titanic, organized by OceanGate Expeditions:

Friday

The expedition departs from Newfoundland, Canada.

Saturday

On Saturday night, British billionaire and adventurer Hamish Harding, one of the five aboard the ill-fated deep-sea vessel, wrote in a Facebook post: “Due to the worst winter in 40 years in Newfoundland, this mission will likely be the first and only manned Titanic wreck in 2023. A favorable weather window has just opened and we will attempt the dive tomorrow.” It was his last post on Facebook.

Sunday

11:00 (Greece time): The submersible Titan was expected to begin its dive, according to a post by Harding on Instagram. It was delayed, however, according to the US Coast Guard.

15:00 (Greece time): The submersible Titan begins its dive to the wreck of the Titanic, at a depth of 3,810 meters in the North Atlantic. It was expected to arrive there in about 2 hours, the US Coast Guard said.

16:45 (Greece time): Communication is lost between the deep-sea vessel Titan and the ship that transported it to the area.

22:00 (Greece time): The submarine should have surfaced, according to the original plan. But that didn’t happen.

23:40 (Greece time): The US Coast Guard is informed by the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince about the disappearance of a submersible with five people on board, which was heading to the area of ​​the Titanic wreck, about 900 nautical miles east of Cape Cod, USA.

Monday

U.S. and Canadian ships and aircraft are rushing to the area, dropping sonar buoys with a range of nearly 2.5 miles, according to U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Moger. He points out that it is extremely difficult to carry out an investigation in the area, while the assistance of commercial ships is requested in the operation.

Tuesday

In the morning, the family of Pakistani-born businessman Shahzada Dawood confirmed that the 48-year-old and his 19-year-old son, Suleiman, are inside the deep-sea Titan. He is asking people to pray for their safety.

17:50 (Greece time): France announces that it will assist in the search, sending the ship Atalante with a robotic deep-sea vessel managed by the oceanographic institute IFREMER.

During the day, a Canadian Lockheed P-3 Orion aircraft, which has equipment to detect submarines, detects sound signals for several hours. The US Coast Guard did not specify the time frame.

The American network CNN and Rolling Stone magazine report that a Canadian aircraft detected the sounds of a crash at 30-minute intervals. Rolling Stone reports that sonar picked up more such sounds 4 hours later. CNN also reports later sounds, but does not describe them in the same way.

Janike Mikkelsen, a friend of Harding’s, states: “As things stand now, it would be a miracle if they were pulled out alive.”

Wednesday

During the day, the US Coast Guard and Navy, the Canadian Coast Guard and OceanGate Expeditions set up a joint control center to manage the search.

09:00 (Greece time): The US Coast Guard announces that a Canadian P-3 aircraft detected underwater noises. He reports that remote-controlled robotic boats are heading to the area and that US Navy specialists are analyzing the recorded sound signals.

In the afternoon, the French research vessel Atalante carrying the robotic deep-sea vessel arrives at the research area.

Thursday

13:00 (Greece time): The available oxygen in the deep vessel is running out, according to the assessment of the US Coast Guard. Once Titan was sealed to begin its mission, the oxygen would last for 96 hours, according to its specifications. However, this depends on several factors, such as any loss of energy in the icy depths of the ocean.

21:00 (Greece time): It is confirmed that the wreckage found near the wreck of the Titanic belongs to the submersible Titan.

22:00 (Greece time): The wreckage indicates a catastrophic decompression that led to the breakup of the deep vessel, the Coast Guard announces. There are no survivors.